Im looking to get my first full suss via a cycle scheme voucher of £1000 and im very reluctant to exceed that so ive seen loads of bikes and checking them out in forums and reviews etc because i want to get the most out of my money and get it right with no regrets after purchasing.
now recently ive seen the mongoose salvo elite 2011 for £799 on sunset mtb website which i think looks like an absolute bargain!, anyone got one and should let me know why i need this bike in my life or alternatively a reason to deffinently not own one?
ive ownly ridden entry level hardtails in the past, my riding is xc with abit of trail centre riding in there and light trails and decents so nothing to heavy.
other bikes ive seen are the 2010 mongoose teocali elite - lapierre x control 110 and 210 - giant anthem x 5 - trek fuel etc etc
any help would be great, im looking for a bargain but also to get a good solid bike that i wont have any problems with.
also last thing im about 6.1" do i need a medium frame size or a large?
thanx
Garey
I guess anyone here would tell you that for £1k you'd be better getting a decent hardtail.
If you absoulutely have to get a full sus have a look at Pauls Cycles, they seeem to have some good offers:
http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/products.php?plid=m1b0s1p0
I would probably go for the Giant X5 as it has a decent frame, air forks, and shimano hydraulic stoppers on it. Try and get the best frame possible for the money, as the part ware out you can upgrade them. No point ending up with decent kit on a naff frame.
Can't really say much for Mongoose but I've only heard good things about Giant and their after sales support, that said, someone will probably contradict that.
Good luck
I currently have a Mongoose Salvo Elite 2011 model and I can happily report I have not had many issues with it. Ive covered approx 3000 miles on it. I use it to commute to work mainly over a variety of terrain/trails/road and has not let me down yet.....well I had mine two days and was hit by a van at approximately 20mph and the mid/rear end took the brunt of it but it did not bend it in the slightest so nice and strong in that respect. Not so lucky for the actual wheel but hey it was still in one piece and was soon repaired. Me on the other hand took a little longer.
When on rough ground the sus acts well (depending on pressure obviously)and the rear adjustable 120-90mm is good. Tyres that come with it are good, no punctures yet, grip well. Overall the bike is nicely balanced and not to weighty. Yeah Mongoose have been slated for crappy cheap bikes but I feel this one is nice mid entry all rounder.
The only critism I can actually give it is the brakes are a little woody. Dont get my wrong they will stop you very quickly but they just dont feel the strongest when doing so. When the pads run out I think I may upgrade but Im not in any rush.
I am 6ft and I got the large, I am short on top so got a shorter stem to the standard to stop the numb hands after a long ride and the problem went away.
Hope this helps you in your choice.